Starring: Matthew McWannabe, Man Hathaway
Maybe you all know that Narry Borman isn't Christopher Nolan's biggest fan... ever since he stole my car, I've been unable to find joy in his films. But NB goes into every film with an open mind.
When Hollywood takes on sci-fi, it's usually more 'fi' than 'sci'. The lame attempts to put in some scientific reality only serve to discredit the work as a whole. NB would be much happier if they just went travelling through the stars and forgot about reality and science (Gravity was almost there with the whole space travel experience - top film).
Interstellar also straddles that awkward ground between trying to be real, but ending up sounding like it was written by a 13-year old Arthur C. Clarke fan. "Rocket boosters", "relativity", "Warp factor 9"... I have no objection to these words per se, but please admit that you're having a bit of a laugh instead of going all pretentious on our collective asses.
For Narry Borman, Christopher Nolan is the "Coldplay" of Hollywood, churning out likable but ultimately facile hits that appease everyone. Maybe this is the price of popularity? When your potential audience surpasses thousands, millions, tens of millions... and stretches into a hundred million or more people around the world, maybe you feel the pressure of wanting to produce something entirely non-offensive.
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| "Save me, save me!" Man Hathaway plays the dopey, emotional female character present in most Nolan films |
At the same time, at least Nolan does something with the copious financial rewards he gains form such blandness - Interstellar looks amazing, and it's a great cinematic experience. Being able to leave your normal life and travel across time and space is one of the great reasons for going to the movie house. Only a director that can command a budget like Nolan can even try and pull off what is clearly a 21st homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Instellar, though, will age badly. The robots are comically bad. I can only assume that it's a reference to the awful sci-fi robots of the 60s and 70s, because these clunky machines made NB physically smile. Also, as always, Nolan (and his bro) prove that they cannot write female characters. Case in point, Dr. Bland. Her major contributions to the film include the need to be rescued from an oncoming tidal wave (oh, how damsel in distressian), and travelling halfway across the universe... basically cos she's in love. Feminists the world over are removing their pretty little gloves and you're the target, Nolan (try and get my car keys back from him too while yer there).
A few rolling credits before I wrap this up: pretty bland performances from Michael Caine and Anne Hathaway (McConaughey carries this film on his shoulders - he's turned into a great actor - loads of enthusiasm and understated intensity), there a few nice references to superior sci-fi films, and the soundtrack is incredible. In fact, the OST gets 5/5, but the film gets...
Rating: Cosmic twaddle
I actually agree with what I think the main points of your critique are...poor script and performance from one of the lead and most well known female characters, Anne Hathaway, and the fact that the ending was spoon fed to you. But, I'd argue (of course) that using your widely recognised 'Eccentric Rating System' that this is at least 'Good' because overall, it is a worthy film (minus those two points). Just tell people to leave before the last 10 minutes..? Regardless of what you think of the film, I think it's even worth going to see it in the cinema, purely to enjoy the amazing soundtrack combined with the amazing visual cinematic experience Christopher Nolan has created.
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